It is our responsibility to always seek and consciously pursue a better way to source and manufacture our foot.we.ar. It's not just a goal, but a way we evolve business for people and our environment.

From the very beginning, we knew we wanted to start a company whose roots were firmly planted in sustainability, surrounded by supporting structures of the circular economy that are based on sharing and collaboration. It was always part of our own spiritual journey to live our lives with love and responsibility for our planet. Our company’s tag line perfectly summarizes that premise, “Good For People, Good For Earth.” Since people walk on earth, footwear was a clear choice, and since trees help the earth and all it’s creatures to thrive, the cork oak tree became our obvious choice.

That is why we wish to tell the world about the importance of cork! We love cork in our shoes for many reasons; it’s organic, lightweight, super comfortable, and healthy for your feet. It’s renewable, abundant, and easily recyclable. The process of debarking the tree extends its life by 75 years, and when the bark regrows, it reduces carbon dioxide from the environment. We love that for every ton of cork produced, 73 tons of carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere, and we love that cork oak forests create abundant spaces for wildlife to thrive.

One of the biggest challenges we face as a sustainable footwear company is defining exactly what ‘sustainability’ is since it’s under a huge umbrella and carries many grey areas. Sustainability depends on how and who defines it and in some cases its path carries desirable and not so wonderful side effects. 

We think it’s important that the pros and cons of sustainability are weighed out; every fabric and material labeled as organic, vegan or sustainable should be chosen based on company’s mission towards sustainability. One company can not cover all of its premises so we all should support companies with diverse missions. Our own measure is in our tag line; Good for People, Good for Earth.

Marina Shtatlender & Gero Francis - CoFounders